>> hi, everyone, this is aljazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler in ne in new york. future of iraq, as advisers are on the ground, more questions on whether the country will break apart. egypt's president ignores worldwide condemnation, and now aljazeera journalists face years in prison. undocumented immigrants, freedom and a bus ticket if they show up in court. dirt cheap. how to be a property owner for

the cost of a french quarter dinner. and the bite, a player trying to chomp his way to the next round of the world cup? he didn't before. >> we begin with the growing u.s. presence in iraq. more than half of the advisers in special operations forces are in that country, and ready to help the iraqi military. [ gunshots ] government forces battled sunni rebels just outside of baghdad, and the rebels claim once again they have control of the country's biggest oil refinery. so far month, 1,000 people, mostly civilians have been killed. they pushed to the outskirts of baghdad. jane is in baghdad with more. jane?

>> wars of information, and there are conflicting reports of what's happening in the primary, but all indications are that iraqi special forces do again have control over it. this after fierce fighting in the last few days, and airstrikes. from helicopters in the city, some have said to kill civilians. it's an indication of how fierce the battle is for key positions here. the refinery, and boarder towns to the east. and eventually, the big prize, the fighters hope, baghdad. >> iraq's neighbors as well, what's happening on the borders now? >> . >> the isis fighters have control of the key posts in syria, and place where u.s. marines were stationed and

fought fierce battles with al qaeda a they are coming across the border and what they have done is erase the border between iraq and syria. they are of course fighting to the top of the government here. and on the jordanian border, they have been there as well. drivers report abandoned vehicles, and burned out military vehicles, but when you get to the post with jordan, it still seems to be under control of official forces. the jordanians though are understandably very worried about this, and they have brought in tanks on their side of the border. >> and jane, we know that at least 1 million iraqis have fled their homes, and so where have they gone. >> it's a huge problem. people are terrified.

here in baghdad, it's edgy and out where the fighting is going on, they're in salute terror. i had one man today who lost his entire family in 2014 when they were killed by u.s. troops, tell me that he was worried that the remaining members of his family would be killed as well. they're caught in the north and the fighting there. a lot of people are going to the kurdish territories and ending up in refugee camps and staying with relatives, but there are not a lot of places they can go. they can't leave the country anymore. and there are not countries that will accept them. owner 1 million refugees went to syria and came back there. it's limited, the government is overwhelmed. >> other than nerves and fear, is anything else changing in baghdad these days when it comes to daily life? >> you know, it's almost a different country. if you think about what it was

like two weeks ago, almost everything has been turned upside down. people here, in a strange way, got used to the bombs going off. every day, there would be car bombs, suicide bombs, they would shatter buildings, and people would be killed. and they would come back and start to rebuild, put in the glass and sweep up the debris, and there's a little less of that because people don't know what's going on. in the streets, it's quieter than usual, and normally, you would see restaurants packed with people. the mall here would be packed with shoppers, but a lot of people are staying home and trying to figure out how they will leave the country. whether they're going to try to fly out and seek asylum or take a road and try to get across one of the roads still open. or exactly what they're going to do. everything they can. people are basically overwhelmed with fear and with a limited number of options. it's reflected in the mood here

in baghdad and a number of cities. >> thank you, jane, and pentagon officials are holding briefs today about the u.s. role in iraq, and mike vick ai viqueirat can we expect? >> reporter: traveling around the region, he said time and time again that there has to be a political solution in baghdad and iraq before they can do any good. the first wave, special operators, has arrived in baghdad. and they're part of an international group. 90 arrived in iraq today. and their initial mission, to assess the readiness and cohesiveness of the iraqi army, and an air campaign that secretary kerry seemed to indicate would be several days away. the spokesman, here's how he

described the mission. >> the teams will begin their assessments immediately and provide their findings through the chain of command through the next two to three weeks. we continue to fly routine and regular isr missions over iraq t.20-30 flights per day to help us gain insight on the situation on the ground. >> and kirby added that the isr flights, that's intelligence surveillance and recon, are flying around-the-clock. these troops are also there, these special operators, to examine the most efficient way to examine the 300, we're up to 250 now. >> and officials behind closed doors in a briefing to the ask what do we know about the briefing? >> you watch the senators emerging from the briefing, and some of them are really taken by what they see by isil advances,

and this is on the tip of the senators. two republicans, marco rubio and lindsey graham. >> while we argue that we need to target the supply lines that feed isis in syria, and work closely with the allies in jordan and protect them from the growing risk in this promotions. >> everybody needs to understand that what has in iraq does effect us, and no member of the senate could have left with out believerring that the home land is in danger, and i don't think that you are going to hear a push back that the president needs to act. >> many of the republicans who have been critical of president obama's handling of iraq so far are four square behind him if it comes to military action. >> back to iraq, which documents

his experiences in iraq in 2013, covering the war, he's the former baghdad correspondent for time magazine, and he joins us tonight. and welcome. christopher, what is the state of the u.s. secretary of state visiting the kurdish region? >> well, the kurds are key to keeping iraq in a unified state. and they are act being as king makers here. they have the strongest military. and they have a peaceful region and their economy is booming, and now that they have -- which they have tried to incorporate into their own area, they are sitting agent the top of the pile. and they're the ones who can make or break the political situation in baghdad, whether or not prime minister maliki remains there or not. >> is there a plan? either by the kurds, the iraqi

government, the rebels, the united states, what do you perceive as the plan or the solution to this, if there is any? >> so far the only people that have a plan are isil. and maliki's response has been to double down on the sectarianism. and he came into office as a shiite leader rather than an iraqi leader, and this has greatly alienated the sunni tribes to the north and the west. and he has cut their budget and the allowance that they have been getting for the oil revenues over the last six months ago. and this is one of the reason the kurds are so angry with maliki right now, and they're threatening to find a way to dump him and bring in another prime minister. >> so you're saying because of the oil, the kurds could

actually play a big role in what happens next. >> absolutely, absolutely. with kirkuk, if they were to make a de facto independence bid or even a du jure independence bid, it would make up from what they lost from baghdad. they have major contracts with exxon and various chinese companies, and it would be -- it has been their dream to have independence for decades. >> what could the kurdish president have on this process? >> well, barzony is a very strong kurdish nationalist. and that has been the base of his support within the kurdish region. he's very popular and leads one of the two parties. he, first and foremost s. going to work for the benefits of the

kurds. if he sees making an independence bid, he'll do that, and that's why we saw secretary kerry in iraq telling him that his interests lie in a united iraq. >> did you see him then? >> no, when i left, samara had just been attacked. and it was the beginning of the two year sectarian war that saw whole sections of iraq -- it was a terrible, terrible time. and it was only through the sunni awakening that was combined with the support of that, that allowed for a sense of calm to settle in 2008, 2009 or so, but i was not optimistic when i left. >> christopher albritain, thank

you for being on the show. and there's moreover the sentencing of aljazeera's staff in egypt. >> [ foreign dialogue ] >> correspondents were sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison. they're accused of spreading false news and aiding in the band of brotherhood. under the egyptian law, once all of the appeals are done, egypt's president could grant a pardon, but today, the president ruled that out. [ foreign dialogue ] >> interpreter: we will not interfere in judicial matters because the egyptian judiciary is an independent and exalted judiciary. no one interferes with the affairs of the state institutions or talks about institutions. >> we'll talk about whether

anyone can get a fair trial in egypt right now. more about the ceasefire in ukraine, vladimir putin has called for talks, and he said that he may revoke the ceasefire now that a military helicopter has been shot down. >> in you're yu ukraine's cities, the separatists have scorned poroshenko's deadline to surrender or flee. it will not be coming now, and though the military order is being revoked, the russian president said that he is very much engaged. >> interpreter: we will always protect those in ukraine, not

just culturally and linguistically. those who felt they were brought up in a russian world. and of course we'll be watching scrupulously and be watching and i hope we won't have to use armed forces for that. and in fact, it seems that russian personnel may be invited into eastern ukraine on official basis. talks between the german foreign minister and the ukrainian prime minister on tuesday. >> interpreter: we should explore whether among the many nations involved, whether the corporation on a really effective border control is possible. >> reporter: the long and porous border has been a flashpoint for months, it's difficult to secure, and they have found it easy to cross from russia. president putin's order ends the

military incursion, but i says that he has plenty of other options. >> we're not talking about invasion, or talking about bringing troops, but there are many ways where russia can act. and they have huge leverage. and i don't think that russia will give up its leverage in ukraine. >> reporter: on friday, president poroshenko will sign an agreement for closer ties for the european union. the president emphasized the importance of political stability. >> and we urge aller ports to do what they need to deescalate the crisis and the tragedy. >> it's an ambition shared by all sides in the conflict. but they have very different ideas of how to achieve it. aljazeera, ukraine. >> here in the u.s., results are trickling in from primaries in six different states. one of the biggest battles

between the tea party and establishment republicans will be settled. this is a big, big event. >> yeah, mississippi is huge, john, because as you know, republicans need a net gain this fall of six senate seats to derail president obama, and the battle for the primary, who wins, can be crucial, and a lot of establishment republicans are very worried tonight about thad cochran. he's 76 years old and seeking his 7th term. and he has gotten support of john mccain and haley barbour of mississippi and the chamber of commerce. but despite all of this, cochrane is in the race of his life against tea party challenger, chris mcdaniel. he has run a very feisty, anti-government campaign, and he has gotten the support of tea party darlings like sarah palin and rick santorum. but he has a history of racism

when he was a tom radio host. and a lot of republicans are fearful, if the tea party makes a statement. and if chris mcdaniel wins, the democrats have a chance in it in the fall. chalmers, a congressman, and if democrats are able to look at mississippi and say, hey, we may have a chance to put this in play, that makes the math that much more difficult and for republicans to knock off the democrats and tak take care conl of the senate. >> what's different about mississippi. >> the difference is that thad cochran has not run a good campaign. he has had self-inflicted wounds, and he didn't know about cantor last week. and he has made a big deal of spending. mcdaniels that we need to cut government spending, and the irony, this race, $17 million

has been spent in this mississippi primary race, and that is more than every senate election, except for four in 2012, and those were general elections. $17 million for a primary race in mississippi, it's unheard. so many groups are interested in the outcome. >> we're in the middle of summer, it's almost july, and they're not expecting a big timeout in mississippi, or are they? >> they're not expecting a big turnout, and the reason they have the runoff today, there was one where nobody got 50%, and mc donnell and cochrane are in the runoff. and one thing to keep in mind, chris mcdaniel, as much as he was feeling confident, he did not get 50 perfection two weeks ago and that's why people are saying it.

>> it's a lot of money to spend on a race like that. coming up next, on the board of the controversial new rule that allows undocumented immigrant mothers and children to enter the united states and stay. and a new life. a sudanese woman who gave birth on death row, prepares to come to the united states, and takeses more roadblocks.

>> tonight, we begin the special series of on the border, an in-depth look at the rush of undocumented migrants trying to get into this country. young people have been crossing the border in record numbers this year, and today the secretary of homeland told congress. >> when thousands of children show up alone on the border, it's a humanitarian crisis as much as a security one. >> we're talking about large numbers of children, without their parents, who have arrived at our border, hungry, exhausted, scared and vulnerable. >> children as young as five,

some of them preteen, from guatemala and honduras, have entered the u.s. in record numbers. picked up by border agents. >> wanted principle reason they're leaving their countries is because the conditions in those countries are really bad. it has to be really bad for a parent to want to part company with his or her own seven-year-old. >> democrats say the grim economies in central america, coupled with gang violence, are pressuring these kids fleeing north. aljazeera filmed these youngsters in detention only last week. but they don't bite. gang violence and bad economies are nothing new in south america. >> they say that's the reason we have tens of thousands of children coming almost entirely from gault malla, and honduras and el salvador isn't true.

i think that this humanitarian crisis can be laid directly at the feet of president obama and his dacka policy. >> dacka is the children arrivals program, that allow certain immigrants to be shielded from deportation as long as they arrived before june 2007. the administration teamed to get out ahead of things, seeking new detention facilities, and more judges to be sent to the border areas to process cases. nonetheless, in the hearing room, the realization of the thousands of children who already crossed the line, are in reality unlikely to be sent back. >> we are dealing with children, and we get it, but we ought not to say that it's going to remove them.

once those children are here, they're staying here. >> aljazeera, new york. >> so why the rush for the border? the migrants are clinging to the hope that once they make it to the united states they will be able to stay, even though they don't have the proper documents, and they're not always wrong. >> after six days ago of travel and three days of detention, she had her son in one hand and a plastic bag, containing hope for the future if the other. immigration officers dropped off this mother and child at this bus terminal in texas moments ago. inside of the bag is a permit to remain in the country for 30 days. that's when a judge will decide whether to deport them back to honduras. getting in the country feels good, she says, but she didn't come here to feel good. she came for a better future for her son and herself.

they went on a raft. and what was once the end of their american dream, now seems to be a detour. she and her son are free, holding bus tickets to join relatives in florida. with 15,000 central america immigrants arriving in the valley each month, the u.s. immigration officials drop off 500 women and children at this mccallan bus terminal each day. jimenez said that she heard rumors that single mothers and children will be allowed to stay in the u.s., and that's why she came now, she said. a spokeswoman says that these families are screened and fingerprinted and still subject to removal. but many mothers said they see it as a free pass. also have honduras, she sought out border patrol officers,

knowing that they would help her. everyone in the united states is helping immigrants for, she says. what's trying the immigration, the rumor that the permit allows you to stay in the u.s. and the lack of jobs in central america, the mothers say. the dangers of the journey and the discomfort of the detention have a small price to pay. she hasn't showered or brushed her teeth in three days. four blocks from the bus terminal, the mothers and children find an oasis. behind the gates, they find shelter, food and rest and compassion. >> if i were in the same situation and my children were starve and go in danger, as a mother, i would do anything to keep them safe and bring them to the promised land. >> catholic charities runs the shelter and acknowledges it's controversial. the government has nothing but the word of these mothers that they will appear for their immigration hearings, but for the moment, those worries are

sent aside. here, what matters is a warm shower and the journey still ahead. it's different now, says a refreshed jimenez, no more detention, now we go to our families. so in 30 days, she'll have to make a decision, appear in court and risk deportation, or stay hidden and undocumented. aljazeera, mccallan, texas. >> coming up next, the difficult search for justice after the wrongful conviction of three aljazeera journalists, can anyone get a fair shake in egypt's court system? and at the world cup, it was the bite scene around the world.

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>> this is aljazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler, and coming up, spreading fear. dozens more nigerian children kidnapped by boko haram, and our aljazeera colleagues in egypt,

what it means for the future of the free press around the world. and rebuilding new orleans, rebuilding the 9th ward by selling homes dirt cheap. >> a global demonstration of solidarity today for the aljazeera journalists sentenced to years in prison. peter guest athey were convictee charges of helping the muslim brotherhood in egypt. within hours, people around the world condemned the verdict. protests are scheduled in many cities, and the journalist lawyers are looking into next steps to save the men from seven to ten years behind bars. it raises new concerns about

egypt's judicial system and what the commitment to civil liberties means. erica wood reports. >> the the world already had little faith in egypt's judicial system, this verdict cemented it. the sentence, seven and ten years in prison for aljazeera's journalists, was a culmination of five months of trial, a trial which government and journalists agree made little sense. there are no jury trials in egypt. only judges can hear evidence in court. and rights groups says that it leaves the judicial system open to subjectivitity. can the government intervene? not until all legal proceedings

have been wound up. the comments by the president on tuesday left little hope of him stepping in. >> >> interpreter: we will not interfere in judicial matters because the egyptian judiciary is an independent and exalted judiciary, no one internes with state institutions and no one comments or talks about state institutions. >> long suffering from a crippling backlog of cases, he has made insurances that his government would work to review the judicial system, as well as uphold freedom and human rights, but so far, there has been little sign of it. the crackdown on the supporters of mohamed morsi and his brothers has been impassible. in the last year, thousands have been arrested and convicted. last week, a court hearing confirmed the death sentences of

183 people. including the muslim brotherhood chief, mohammed barzee. it's the latest effort to crush. and those not in support of the muslim brotherhood with the crackdown, one of the pro democracy activists was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month for protesting. with the government or the judicial system to offer fair trial, though caught in egypt's legal web, they may have to rely on pressure coming from the outside and the international community. erica wood, aljazeera. >> the aljazeera media network, he joins us tonight from dc. welcome. >> thank you, john. >> what do you make of these comments by the president of egypt? >> two days ago, there was a

verdict that was announced and they could have released peter and mohammed and bahar. but enough evidence was given in the course of the trial which would have prevented their guilt. and today egypt would have been receiving applaudits from the international community, instead, the court went the opposite direction so, today what you have is virtual unanimity in the international community, human rights groups, and the international media, and everyone has condemned what happened. and it seems with sisi's tainment, it will make it much more difficult. >> it's hard to tell if it's him feeling pressure from around the world or him digging in. what do you think? >> i don't know obviously what

his motives were, they did come one day after the secretary of state of the united states, john kerry, made his attempts where he encouraged them to issue presidential pardons and release the journalists, so it may have been a direct response to the united states, a strange response in light of the united states' willingness to provide support to the egyptian government. >> there have been plenty of journalists and we have had some on this program who have complained about the fact that the united states has not done enough to help these journalists, and what else can the united states do now to try to help them? >> i think that the united states have spoken out strongly not only for our journalists, but others being held in egypt. it's the edge of the spear, this is an attempt to criminalize

journalism. not to criminalize descent, a lot of them are not in jail for descent, but they're in jail because they didn't tow the party line or speak the way they were told to speak. by criminalizing journalism, egypt goes down a dark path, trying to take the middle east back to where it was 20 years in the past. and i think that the international community recognizes that and that's why so many countries, britain and australia and clearly the united states have spoken out so forcefully in defense of our jump lifts. >> i know that you've been asked this question before. but let's get into it. the larger question in the political play is that egypt has accused qatar of supporting the muslim brotherhood, and they are part of the aljazeera network and aljazeera america, this network. how do you respond to the criticism that qatar is

influencing the aljazeera network and is biased against egypt? >> first of all, the egyptian government had 177 days to make its case that the reporting of peter and mohammed and bahar was in any way unfair to egypt. they didn't make the case, and didn't try. they presented ridiculous videos, and music videos, and presented peter's vacations and they presented his peabody award-winning journalism that he did for bbc before aljazeera, and there was nothing at that time to show any truth to the allegations that aljazeera wasn't studiously unbiased in its coverage of the events in egypt through the revolution, the counter revolution and all of the demonstrations that happened. we have been critical of all points of the mistakes that have been made by anybody.

by the elected government or the governments that have come afterwards. they had the chance to prove that, and they were unable to do it because it wasn't true. and regardless of what egypt's any problems that egypt may have with qatar, that's a state to state issue, and that's a matter to be taken up between states and the state level. it's not a matter for journalists who work for a media out let within that state. imagine if the egyptian government had a dispute with the united states and thought that the best way to take it out was on cnn reporters, or with the british government and decided to take it out on bbc. that would not be tolerated and i think that's why every major media outlet has stood side-by-side with us and mohammed and peter and bahar. >> what do we know about where peter, mohammed and bahar are

tonight and in their condition? >> i think that their spirits are better than they were when they heard the verdict. they want the world standing behind them. and we have to redouble our efforts to secure their freedom. they are still in the prison, and they may be moved to another prison. they have been under very difficult conditions, very tough conditions for the entire time that they have been held and at this point, i think that the international community is doing the right thing by raising the issue and ensuring that the egyptian government recognizes that this is an outrageous verdict that cannot stand. it has to be reversed. and it can be reversed either through executive action or judicial action, and it needs to be reversed and they need to be freed and to come home. >> we were hoping that we have

better news in the coming days. good to see you, thank you very much. >> we go to nigeria now where there are reports of another mass kidnapping from the same region where nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped in april. 91 villagers, most of them girls and boys, taken from the towns in the north over a three-day period. >> still no official confirmation, only a denial from authorities t. reports of kidnaps. a government official, speaking by telephone to the news agency, saying that there were 90 people taken hostage in a three-day period. and amongst them were 60 women, and amongst those were a group of children, between three and 2011.

twelve. these were supposed to have taken place over a three-day period, thursday, friday and saturday. and they were 30 kilometers from chibuk, from the school where there were 200 abducts two months ago. where 219 schoolgirls are still missing. now, boko haram are the suspects in this latest report of kidnapping, the reason behind it, if true, is unclear, but some are speculating that it could be to put the heat on the authorities and get the whole story back into the public lives, in an attempt to get the freedom of some of the prisoners in possible negotiations that might be taking place. >> the sunnis woman who had a death sentence for being a

christian, in the united states. and john bets is here. >> a lot of people said that wanted case was closed. but the freedom turned out to be short-lived. a day after leaving prison, she and her family were detained at the airport. and now they have sent the ambassadors to discuss the case. >> it's the latest in the case that ignited international outrage. >> mariam has done nothing to threaten the international security. >> on monday, miriam abraham was enjoying freedom for the first time in 11 months. after the suedaneese government dropped the death sentence against her for breaking the sudanese law and converting to christianity. millions around the world have been demanding her release. though rarely enforced, sudan has outlawed conversion from

islam at pain of death. >> the sudanese government for diversity, a restrictive view of what it means to be sudanese, how you look. >> increasingly, sudan has been cracking down as it faces pressure from rebel groups and facing civil war in the south sudan. >> we have seen an incredible resurgence of violence. >> her case is particularly rare. she married a christian american years ago. and she insists she was never a muslim. but through it all though, she stood by her faith. >> the state department said that sudan has assured that she and her family will be kept safe. and though their current status and unclear, they're working it get her out of the country. >> there's a gender crisis in parts of southeast asia.

200 million babies are aborted, abandon or killed every year just for being female. the united states calls it gender sighed.cide, in india. >> gendercide refers to the systematic elimination of a gender group, usually girls. it's persistent in china and southeast asia, though it happens in other parts of the world. altogether, it has eliminated 200 million women from the world's population, a statistic that's difficult to comprehend. more girls have been killed as a result of gendercide just in the last decade than all of the deaths in all of the major gendercide events. >> it's rooted in a centuries old tradition, the men carry on

the family name and inherit the family wealth. and daughters often leave the family once they're married. they join their husband's family. and in the case of india, with dowry, they take a lot of it with them when they go. when they're born, most frequently, they abort them when they're born, but those who are born and discovered to be girls and they're unwanted, they often wet a cloth and put it on the infant's face until she smothers. one of my most unforgettable feeling. the environment in which she lived the entire life. she's part of the culture that's communicated to her from the time she was born.

this is where your value comes from, burying your husband and son. and apparently she took that role extremely seriously. this is without question the greatest women's rights issue of our day, and certainly one of the greatest human rights issues of our day. and something that i think that very few people really grasp the scope of this problem. >> the documentary, it's a girl, is currently being screened around the world. it was 50 years ago today, that the civil rights act legalizing discrimination in this country, today, the leaders in the house posthumously awarded martin luther king and his wife, correta scott king, the congressional gold medal. it will be kept in -- >> joie chen tells us what's happening on "america tonight." >> a look at a crowd favorite.

and will they really be long? everyone wants to see dolphins at the aquarium or the theme parks, and who would want to give them up? but the national aquarium on boston's harbor is thinking of doing just that, being the first in the country to even contemplate giving up its dolphin exhibit. dolphins in captivity, they raise the question, is it the right thing to do to keep dolphins for show? >> in many cases, when people see dolphins in this sterile setting, the message that they take away from them are not the ones that we as conservationists want them to. they contemplate the happy image of the dolphin in this situation like this, and what's going on for them in the wild. >> should dolphins be kept in captivity. and is there any way to return them to the wild? that's at the top of the hour,

and we'll see you then. >> thank you, joey. and now to brazil and the world cup. brazil packing their bags, and one of the world's most talented more on that, lee. >> . >> the impact with the genius of the skill on the field and what he can do to the opposition, which is show them that victory. in the game, before they scored, suarez appears to bite heleney, the italian defender. this is not the first time he has done it.

once he was playing, and once when he was playing in england in liverpool. and they can review the video evidence, because they can give him a long ban. anything up to two years. however, how quickly will they act, they haven't said. if they act quickly, suarez could be banned in columbia, and he could be out of the tournament and that could mean that you'reu guy, they could being out of the out of the tournament too. >> as suarez for a moment, what about "consider this" and greece advancing? what do you make of that? >> one of them will be in the finals, and advancing into the tournament. "consider this" played all the way through their group and they won it, with england and europe

being up against them. and ivory coast, they're through, and greece, everybody was writing off. but now they have a chance against "consider this" to advance against the european side. >> lee welling, keeping us up to date on the world cup. and lee, thanks very much. coming up next, the photo of the day, and new orleans may practically give homes away to bring back the katrina ravaged 9th ward.

>> good evening, i'm meteorologist, kevin corbel. we're looking at flooding in the states and the northern plains, and that's going to continue for the rest of the week. what's happening now, we're seeing a lot of activity in the ohio river valley and texas, as well as over here toward the rockies, but first, we're going to be dealing with the flood. it's continuing, and we have

over 100 river gages above flood stage, and the forecast is that the major rivers are going to go over by the weekend. where you see the purples, those are the floodgates that are at major flood stage, and the red is at moderate. and also, the orange is at minor. and that's what we're seeing right now across the river areas. of course this is the area we're focusing on. you can see not a lot of rain showers are popping up at the moment. but we're still looking at the threat later on. of course along the rivers, as the threat moves on the rivers, we'll be watching both sides of the rivers for flood warnings, and the watches are in effect over there. the other area that we'll be watching this evening, what's happening here across oklahoma, colorado, and also into the panhandle of texas. we're seeing quite a bit of activity in terms of hail and wind, and that's going to continue because the severe weather threat is going to go on through the rest of the evening.

that's the national weather and the news is up next.

>> imagine paying almost next to nothing for a parcel of land in new orleans? making the lower 9th ward, a neighborhood still struggling nearly a decade after katrina. >> almost nine years after katrina and the 9th ward, the progress has been painfully slow. vacant lots and run down homes guard the streets. vanessa garringer has lived here her whole life. >> it is frustrating and we continue to fight the city to make sure that those structures that need to be demolished because you see lots of them that are in imminent danger of collapse. >> though there are some efforts here, like brad pitt's make it right charity, building over 100 homes, now a new plan is finally

repopulating the city, having the city rebuild 600 vacant lots it owns for $100 each. >> i realize that after hurricane katrina, the conventional ways of doing business are not working. >> wesley bishop is behind the plan that has been improved by the state legislature. and it's model after similar plans in detroit. people won't move back because not enough families are there, so selling the lots for $100 be gives people the huge incentive to move back and rebuild. >> it puts them in a much better situation, because they can go in and say, i'm going to have the best credit and the best income and a piece of property that may be worth 10, 15, $20,000 that's currently my own snow. under this plan, contractors and developers would not be eligible to buy the property, and neither would be people with tax liens

or code violations, and they would have to agree to keep it for at least five years. at community meetings, there has been huge interest. >> we have been getting emails from folks who were out of town that wanted to come back and couldn't come back. >> since it involves the state's substitutioconstitution to selle properties at bloat market rate, they're trying to bring back the long battered community. aljazeera, new orleans. >> and coming up tonight on the newscast. fighting back against the no-fly list. the federal government makes changes, forced out. the woman who has been excommunicated from the mormon church for speaking out. what she plans to do, all coming up at 11:00. now for the photo, it comes from a country in turmoil, in iraq.

iraqi troops trying on newly issued combat boots. stationed 50 miles out of baghdad. that's our news, we'll have more at 11:00 eastern time, 8:00 pacific. "america tonight" with joie chen is next. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight next only on al jazeera america

>> on "america tonight" - innocence lost. thousands of migrant kids trapped in a cross-boarder debate over what to do with them. >> it's painful. the situation of immigration. that's why we are very interested in trying to solve the problem. lori jane gliha brings an interview with el salvador's ambassador to the united states on what his country needs to bring its children home. also - voices silent, raising an ar